Does an external light meter remove the need for exposure compensation?
Asked 4/1/2014
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I'm learning exposure and understand that camera meters can be fooled, which is why exposure compensation is often needed. If I use a good external meter, such as a Sekonic, and know how to use it properly, does that mean I no longer need exposure compensation to get a correct exposure? Or are there still situations where I would intentionally adjust away from the meter's recommendation?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
6
Yes and no.
If you are using a light meter, then you will never use the exposure compensation because you are setting the exposure manually.
However, just because you measure the incoming light instead of the reflected light, that doesn't mean that every scene can be exposed only based on what the meter says.
Instead of being fooled by how much light the subject reflects, the light meter completely ignores it, and thus you may be fooled in a different way. As different subjects reflect light in different ways, you may need to adjust the exposure accordingly.
Originally by user149. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user149
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Not entirely. An external meter can reduce problems caused by a camera’s reflected-light meter, especially if you’re using an incident meter and setting exposure manually. In that sense, you typically won’t use the camera’s exposure-compensation control, because in Manual mode you set shutter, aperture, and ISO directly.
But a meter reading is still only a starting point. It gives a technically neutral exposure, not necessarily the exposure you want. You may still choose to adjust from the reading if:
- the scene is very bright or dark overall and you want it to look that way
- you want to protect highlights or preserve shadows in a high-contrast scene
- you want a creative result, such as a moodier underexposed image
- you need a faster shutter speed in low light and accept a darker exposure
So: a good external meter can remove the need to compensate for a faulty or easily fooled in-camera meter, but it does not remove the need for photographer judgment. You may stop using the EC button, yet still make the same exposure adjustments manually.
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